10 guilty in K210m Cashgate case

The High Court in Lilongwe has found 10 people guilty of theft, money laundering and conspiracy to commit a felony in connection with a 2011 Cashgate case involving K201 million.

11January

The court has found that married couple and business partners Cornelius and Yvonne Kaphantengo used their company Nova Technology and General Dealing Ltd to siphon money from the Ministry of Disability which was distributed to 9 civil servants from the ministry and Accountant General Department.

One person, Audney Kamtengeni has been acquitted for lack of concrete evidence.

The case could be deemed as the genesis of Cashgate as the civil servants took advantage of weaknesses in the Integrated Financial Management Information System (Ifmis) to steal and launder millions.

Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB) Director Reyneck Matemba has welcomed the conviction dedicating it to individuals like T/A Sitola who are not afraid to speak out about corruption and its ills.

In the case, Kaphamtengo and others were being accused of stealing and sharing among themselves K201 million ($358 929) in 2011 from the then Ministry of Elderly and Disability Affairs through the Accountant General’s Office.

The alleged looting of public funds took place between November 1 2010 and June 30 2011 and centred around Ministry of Elderly and Disability Affairs through the Accountant General’s office.